Currently, antennas include radiofrequency RF sources that are mounted in a predetermined position that remains fixed over the life of the antenna. When the antenna must be fitted to a satellite, the RF sources are generally mounted on one face of the satellite. However, in the case of multibeam antennas, the RF sources are arranged in arrays of increasingly large size, which presents space problems when fitting them to satellites, in particular for launch, since the space available below the fairing of launch vehicles is limited. This space problem is particularly relevant in the case of a multibeam antenna using a large number of RF sources for multispot coverage.
To solve this problem, the known solutions consist in miniaturizing the various radiofrequency components constituting the RF sources in order to decrease the bulk thereof, the RF sources still remaining mounted in a fixed position on one face of the satellite. However, the miniaturization of RF sources is limited by minimum size conditions that must be observed for reaching desired levels of radiofrequency performance, the size conditions applying in particular to the waveguides of the RF radiofrequency chains and to the radiating horn of each RF source.